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Big Ideas from the city’s business leaders

How would CEOs, chairmen and other leaders improve Toronto for its citizens and companies? Here’s what some of them told us:

From traffic to power to people, business leaders share ideas on how to make Toronto work better. (David Cooper/The Toronto Star)

Fri., July 25, 2014

Anthony Haines

President and CEO, Toronto Hydro

Anthony Haines sees the Toronto of the future as a big, rechargeable battery.

As chief executive of Toronto Hydro, he’s paid to think about electricity, and he sees opportunities in the big, dense city.

First, his company has wires that, most of the time, aren’t running at full capacity.

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Second, he sees a growing market for electric cars, with their big batteries.

Those two features can fit together, says Haines.

The wires have plenty of capacity to charge the electric vehicles during off-peak hours — and the vehicles need lots of power. The new Tesla sucks up the equivalent power of three houses when it’s plugged in.

But, when the car is idle, those big batteries can be used for more than transport. “Your car is an energy storage system that has the byproduct of taking you between A and B,” says Haines.

Throw some electric panels on the roof, and a system starts to take form. The electric panels charge the car battery. The battery feeds power into your house when it’s needed. “You become a bit of an island,” says Haines. “When you need extra power, obviously the grid will be there to serve you.”

The model works best in dense downtown neighbourhoods, says Haines — but the explosion of high-rise development in Toronto is turning the city into a much denser urban area.

“It’s like New York,” he says. “They don’t take their cars to work, but they use them to travel on weekends and much of the time they sit in garages.”

“Imagine now we have one of these cars, we have it parked in our home. It’s drawing energy when there’s surplus and it’s putting back energy when there’s shortage.”

“My vision of the Toronto of the future is we’re concentrated, we have vehicles that are storage devices.”

Utilities will find ways of making the economics attractive, Haines says.

In just the same way that overbooked airlines offer passengers incentives to switch flights, utilities will find ways of flipping households with electric cars off the grid when the system is under strain, drawing energy from their cars.

“This is not a pipe dream,” says Haines.

“I can see this in my Toronto — that’s what we’re doing in the next decade.” — John Spears

Alex Johnston

Executive director, Catalyst Canada

“I would say and I say this all the time, we have the most multicultural city in the world. What an unbelievable opportunity. Any business leader should look at that and say ‘Wow, what a competitive advantage.’

“We are not leveraging our talent. That’s borne out by the numbers, especially when we look at women.”

To address the problem, Johnston says, “you need to set goals for the kind of representation you want in your company. Set goals at the board level. Set goals at the executive level and set goals for the pipeline.

“Know your talent, understand your talent and build a diversity and inclusion strategy to make sure you’re fully leveraging it. That would include best practices, goals and accountability.

“Where we start as a city, with this beautiful gift, we’re not doing nearly enough to take advantage of it.” — Dana Flavelle

Craig Alexander

Chief economist, TD Bank Group

What if Toronto first needs to think small in order to think big?

We tend to examine the economy in national and provincial terms, says Craig Alexander, chief economist for TD Bank Group. But we overlook the local perspective.

“Cities are the lifeblood of the economy,” Alexander says. “In many respects, you can actually describe Canada as a collection of urban centres that drive economic growth.”

Consider that Toronto, like any country, produces goods and services for the people who live here. But, in fact, our market extends far beyond that.

“We talk about countries having imports and exports,” Alexander says. “There’s no question that Toronto runs a trade surplus because it’s selling products and services to a lot of areas that are outside of the GTA.”

So, how do we more produce goods and services to sell far beyond our borders? Put another way, how do you ensure that Toronto is as vibrant and productive as possible?

“When I look around the GTA I can see an economy that has been very vibrant and grown very quickly but in many respects it feels like the growth has outpaced the available infrastructure,” Alexander says.

“The gridlock that takes place in the GTA is costing the local economy millions of dollars every single year.”

The federal and provincial governments need to contribute to the city’s infrastructure, he added.

That will help keep the city vibrant, and in turn, attract labour and business.

“Most employers today will tell you that one of their biggest challenges is finding and retaining talented staff. And that isn’t just about money. It’s also about the standard of living, “Alexander said. “You can’t attract talent to come live in your city if they aren’t going to get the quality of life they want.”

“Whether by design or happenstance or both, Toronto is a great place. As big cities go, it’s incredibly livable. But like with most things created by people, there’s always room for improvement. To that end, here are a few suggestions.

“Let’s make Toronto more human. Let’s increase the people presence, especially downtown where there’s a lack of big, open, public places. Nathan Phillips Square is terrific but the city needs more open spaces like that. Even bigger, more inviting spots where open-air events can take place, where crowds can gather, where you can just relax, view the big sky unencumbered and be free from the onslaught of traffic.

“Ideally, some of these new spaces should include lots of greenery. Anything that integrates more nature into our urban setting can only enhance the quality of life, especially when so many people are spending less time outdoors. Ironically, if planned right, cities can help address the increasingly common nature-deficit disorder.

“We also need more public space at street level surrounding buildings downtown. Bigger sidewalks next to buildings would make downtown more comfortable, more inviting for pedestrians. Obviously real estate is extremely expensive and space is at a premium but there should be more consideration for sidewalks. Too often buildings turn their backs on the public right of way. For all new projects, the city should require a larger building setback. Think of the big sidewalks in many great cities. More space makes people feel better, less claustrophobic, and leads to more animated, more diverse activities.

“We need more pedestrian streets, areas free of motorists. We should devote more streets to people instead of cars. It’s little mystery why the car-free Sundays in Kensington Market are so popular. Many great cities in Europe have shown the value of such projects. The human presence on streets and sidewalks represents so much of the vibrancy of urban life. It also helps make people be more active.

“Speaking of being active, I strongly recommend that the budget be increased for more public sporting facilities. With child obesity a growing concern, anything that helps induce kids to participate in sports should be promoted. In the winter, Toronto needs more outdoor skating and hockey rinks for kids and adults, and the season should be extended beyond the end of February, weather permitting. It’s part of what defines Canada and would help fight the increasingly sedentary nature of urban life today.

“When you combine being active and being environmentally responsible, you really have a win-win. That’s why encouraging cycling is such a positive development. Unfortunately, Toronto is relatively inhospitable to cyclists. We need more separate, designated lanes and trails that make it easier and safer to get around by bike. It will make Toronto a better, more human place, something we should all welcome.”

Paul Bronfman

Chairman and CEO of Comweb Group Inc. and William F. White International Inc.

Gridlock is the “biggest single problem in Toronto,” says Paul Bronfman. “The congestion in this city is affecting people’s quality of life; certainly affecting their stress levels, their anxiety, their blood pressure; it’s really unhealthy.”

The mogul oversees a multimillion dollar operation that contributes either equipment, services or studio space to about 60 per cent of all film and television work shot in Canada, and says the traffic is impacting his company’s efficiency in Ontario’s billion-dollar film and TV production industry.

“It takes us longer to deliver our production expertise, equipment and technical expertise to sets around the city,” said Bronfman, who is headquartered near Islington and Evans Aves., lives in Yorkville and is chairman of Pinewood Toronto Studios Inc. in the Port Lands, where films such as RoboCop and Pacific Rim were shot.

“Getting down to Pinewood used to be 15 to 20 minutes, now it’s 45 minutes. I go insane at the end of the day and I don’t drive, but I am the world’s worst passenger.

“It’s great that this city is growing and we have people living downtown. We’re one of the fastest-growing cities in North America and that comes with an incredible stress on the infrastructure.”

If Bronfman had his way, the fix would begin with attention to something seemingly simple — illegal parking.

“I would triple the fines,” he says. “I would make it so punitive for these goddamn cars that stop in No Stopping zones during rush hour and the delivery trucks. There is not enough of a deterrent. People will gladly take a $35 or $40 parking ticket in order to do what they do. What about a $120 parking ticket?

“When I first moved to Toronto from Montreal 36 and a half years ago, I thought Toronto people were so polite: they stop at crosswalks, they let you make right turns. What’s happened as a result of the congestion is that people have become way ruder, way more impatient behind the wheel. They yield much less willingly and everybody’s out of control on the roads.” — Ashante Infantry

Roger Martin

Premier’s chair in Productivity & Competitiveness and academic director, Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management

“The GTA’s biggest long-term problem is that it has very low and actually declining productivity. Toronto is at best treading water economically while our large-city peers are rocketing ahead. This produces less in the pockets of workers, in the treasuries of corporations and in the tax revenues of governments.

“So my long-term solution is to provide systemic innovation education to every GTA student in the K-12 system. We can teach innovation to kids and have proven that in pilots with 11 and 12 year olds. I would roll it out to all GTA school boards and make it mandatory for graduation. When these kids hit the GTA economy, Toronto will prosper and reach its true promise.”

Jamie Sokalsky

President and CEO, Barrick Gold Corp.

Jamie Sokalsky grew up in Thunder Bay, but after many years calling Toronto home, he doesn’t mind sharing a few nuggets of wisdom on how to make the city a better place for business.

He first takes his Big Idea for a stroll down one of the country’s top shopping thoroughfares.

“How about turning certain areas of Bloor St. into a pedestrian walkway on some Sundays to create a kind of walking mall to help businesses like restaurants, bars, shops, etc., and attract people to the area and turn it into a destination on weekends,” he says.

“This may be in conflict with my next point about traffic congestion, but it would just be on limited occasions, and would be something I would love to go to,” says Sokalsky.

Then he shifts from feet to wheels.

“One other thing that would be helpful in my mind is to have better coordination on road construction/closures so that not all major arteries are closed at the same time,” he says.

“It seems that there is very little co-ordination when, as an example, both the Gardiner and the Lake Shore are under construction at the same time, creating significant traffic congestion. It would seem to me that they could stagger this more so as not to create traffic chaos, and disincentivize people from coming downtown to restaurants, social functions and sporting events,” he says.

And he just wouldn’t be a successful businessman without throwing in a suggestion on taxes. “I suggest providing capital gains exemptions for start-up entrepreneurs who re-invest in the community (for example, who start another business) when they sell their business. This could also be applied to angel investors,” says Sokalsky. — Lisa Wright

Isadore Sharp,

Founder and chairman, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

“This city has a legacy of fostering diversity. For decades Toronto has been a magnet for immigration and some of the best and brightest have come here to lay roots and build new lives. It is a place that encourages people from all over the world to embrace the city’s spirit and maintain their cultural identity. Diverse cultural influences have informed the evolution of our city and enriched everything from infrastructure, education and the arts. It’s time for a change in leadership — one that is focused on defining our city based on the fundamental principles of tolerance and diversity to the rest of the world.”

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